The MEP was speaking at a pub in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, for the start of Ukip's European parliamentary campaign.

Amersham will be directly affected by the proposed HS2 route.

Mr Farage said: "Some of the groups that have been protesting against HS2 are beginning to realise that lobbying the conventional two big parties, hoping perhaps for legal recourse in the courts, isn't going to work.

"There's the beginning of a feeling here that the only way HS2 will be stopped is if the parties that hold these seats up and down the line, think they're going to lose them to Ukip in 2015.

He added: "Why is it that Ukip takes a stance against the other parties on virtually everything?

"Perhaps because we have a bit more common sense than they do, perhaps because we recognise that the country's skint and we simply can't afford to spend £50billion on a project that will only benefit a small percentage of travelling customers in this country.

"The alternative would be upgrading the lines."

Nigel Farage at the King's Arms pub in Amersham [EPA]

The country's skint and we simply can't afford to spend £50billion on a project that will only benefit a small percentage of travelling customers

Nigel Farage, Ukip leader

Despite much objection, the Government has vowed to "press ahead" with the rail link.

It won an important victory this week when the Supreme Court unanimously dismissed accusations that the Government was "cutting corners" to push the project through, breaching European environmental laws.

Objectors are now planning to take their case to the European courts.

Mr Farage said HS2 remained an "enormous" issue in Amersham, claiming Ukip was "bullish" and "optimistic" about their prospects for May's European elections.

"We really think that these European elections give people an opportunity to express their views about something that they've been denied a say on for far too long," he said.